Future of Alabama-Huntsville hockey program to be announced Monday morning (updated)

The Alabama-Huntsville hockey team will find out Monday morning if it has a future as an NCAA Division I program. (The Huntsville Times/Bob Gathany)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The fate of the University of Alabama-Huntsville's hockey program will be announced this morning by UA Systems chancellor and interim UAH president Malcolm Portera, according to multiple sources.

A separate source stated that UAH hockey coach Chris Luongo informed the team Sunday night it would be told by Portera that the Chargers no longer will be an NCAA Division I member following the season.

A players and coaches meeting is set for 10 a.m., at which point Portera officially will state whether the school's lone Division I team will continue as an NCAA program or potentially move to club status.

Luongo said Sunday evening he hoped to meet with his team before Portera arrived.

"I don't think it's possible to be blindsided by a meeting tomorrow morning, but I'd rather be the one doing the blindsiding than someone who's not there on their behalf," Luongo said.

The team's future has been in question since the dissolution of the College Hockey America conference in 2009, making the Chargers the only independent program in Division 1 hockey. Concerns over finding a conference became secondary this summer when rumors the team was on the state's budgetary chopping block began swirling.

Opposition to a demotion formed in July when an email from the program's most famous alumnus, Jared Ross, told fans and boosters that "the existence of the program is greatly threatened." It went on to say that UA Systems was " very seriously looking at the possibility of completely demolishing Charger Hockey."

Nathan Bowen, a 2000 UAH hockey alum and leader in private fundraising efforts to support the program, said in an email to The Times that $546,875 has been pledged over three years since that point. Bowen and a handful of supporters had hoped to meet with Portera on Tuesday to discuss the decision, but, according to Bowen, that sit-down will be preempted by the announcement.

"It's just been amazing that one person has this much power to end 33 years of tradition," Bowen said. "And it really is coming down to just him. It makes no sense to me.

"He is completely disregarding the mayor, the people of Huntsville, the student council at UAH and 23 athletes that gave up opportunities to play at other places," he continued. "He's completely disregarding those people and going back to his home in Tuscaloosa. To me, it's astounding."

UA System chancellor Malcolm Portera, right, will deciding on the future of the UAH hockey program before removing his interim title and appointing Robert Altenkirch as university president on Oct. 31. (The Huntsville Times/Robin Conn)

Portera has maintained that he plans to announce a decision on the program's future before handing over the presidency to Robert Altenkirchen on Oct. 31. In the meantime, Portera has met with various groups associated with UAH or college hockey to discuss the team's status.

"While we appreciate the voices of support for our Division I ice hockey program, as an institution of higher learning during these times of economic stress on education, we must place our greatest emphasis of taxpayer investment in the classroom and in our laboratories," UAH spokesperson Ray Garner said last week.

For supporters such as Bowen, words condemning the lone Division I hockey program south of the Mason Dixon line ring hallow.

"If this is about financials, why are you not closing the entire athletic program?" Bowen said. "And it's not like people aren't putting their money where their mouth is.

"At the end of the day, it's not financials, it's something else."

Updated at 12:55 a.m. with source stating Luongo making announcement to the team and Kyle Lysaght's tweet.